


The Consequences of Falling in Lava as a Videogame Character

by Tachvintlogic



Series: System Memory and Adjacent [2]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Crack Treated Seriously, Death Animations, Death Mountain (Legend of Zelda), Gen, Honestly I'm not sure if I should tag it crack because I don't really think of it as crack, Respawning, Video Game Mechanics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26897755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tachvintlogic/pseuds/Tachvintlogic
Summary: The Links are traveling up Death Mountain and learn something about each other.
Series: System Memory and Adjacent [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057529
Comments: 16
Kudos: 238





	1. Chapter 1

“Why does Death Mountain have to be so hot?” complained Legend, clutching his ice rod in a vain attempt to stay cool.

“Because it’s a volcano.”

“That’s a very astute observation, Hyrule,” he quipped back in a way that sounded sarcastic if you didn’t know Legend well, but was actually completely sincere. Hyrule smiled, not even considering that it could've been sarcastic. (Which is good, because it wasn't. Legend just likes making Hyrule feel better about himself.)

“Oh don’t complain. Look at Sky. He’s wearing more layers than you and he’s fine!” said Warriors.

“Well, I’m immune to damage caused by the ambient temperature, so I can’t tell how hot it is.”

“Oh come on. Back me up for once!” whined Warriors.

Legend chuckled and failed to pay attention to where his foot had landed. Instead of the flat path that he expected, he landed on a steep slope just next to the path. He slipped and slid down the path straight into lava.

“Ah!”

“Legend!” Hyrule

"OW!!!!" Legend was bounced up by the lava and vanished, reappearing on the last valid terrain he was on blinking in and out of existence, right next to Hyrule.

“Are you okay?” said Hyrule panicking.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Hurts like a bitch though,” he said while massaging his burned bum. Invincibility frames had finally worn off, and he felt completely solid again.

Wild was shocked. “How did you not die??”

“Die, why would lava kill you? You just respawn as long as you still have health left." Sky snickered. “So how’s your bum?”

“Burned, no thanks to you,” replied Legend. “So what’s your falling in lava animation?”

“Similar to yours, but longer,” said Sky. Why?”

“Because this!” Legend pushed Sky off the path into the lava.

“Ahhtatatatatata!” screamed Sky, as he bounced into the air clutching his burned butt. He respawned back on the path nursing his new injury. “Seriously?”

Warriors, Legend, Hyrule, and Wind chuckled. Four just rolled his eyes and Time was merely annoyed. Twilight and Wild were horrified by the seer disregard their brothers seem to have for their lives.

“You have to admit that was a little funny,” said Warriors.

“Yeah,” said Sky. Zelda thought it was funny too. Goddess, he missed her and her adorable laugh.

“Pfft. You call that a lava bounce? I have all you beat! Watch!” Wind jumped straight into the lava and bounced 50 feet in the air.

Four watched with disinterest and moved next to Wild. “Do you actually die in lava?”

“Yeah. There’s no fanfare like you guys. It’s like ‘plop’ and then I’m dead. Game Over.”

Twilight however, had enough of this. “Guys, stop falling into lava!” he said as Wind was respawning.

“Oh come on Twilight, it’s not like it’ll kill us,” said Warriors, despite not being sure whether it would kill him.

“It would kill Wild!”

“Would it kill you?” asked Wind.

“No, but—”

“Your turn!”

“No wait—” Twilight was cut off by the lava bouncing trio pushing him off the path and into the lava. Their mischievous expressions shifted to horror when Twilight didn’t have the same animation as them. Instead of bouncing, he sank. He screamed as the lava surrounded him, cut off by it covering his head. In less than a second, there was nothing left of the hero beyond a single hand desperately reaching out until it too vanished under the molten rock.

The Links were silent as Twilight respawned, fuming. It wasn’t Time’s disappointment face, but it was close.

“Are you okay?” asked Hyrule.

“I feel like my flesh and bones were melting and my blood was evaporating from falling into _liquid rock_. How did you _think_ I feel!” said Twilight, his words saturated in contempt not directed at Hyrule.

“Can I heal you?”

“Yes,” he grumbled as he let Hyrule use the life spell.

“New rule. No one pushes anyone into lava for any reason.” Time glared at the trio avoiding his gaze, “and that goes from you three especially. Just because your animations are funny doesn’t mean everyone else’s are too.”

“Okay, sorry,” said Legend and Wind.

“What is your animation, anyway?” asked Warriors.

“There isn’t one,” Time answered. When he fell into lava, it was just a fade-out and respawn once his feet touched it. Of course, he knew that wasn’t what they would interpret that to mean.

“I’m really sorry Twilight. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have pushed you,” said Sky.

“Well, the fact that my lava animation is gruesome isn’t the kind of information I thought that I would need to share because I trusted that y’all wouldn’t throw me in lava. Clearly, that trust was misplaced.”

The trio flinched. They shared a look and resolved to try to make it up to him when they got to civilization.

“Does it still hurt?” said Hyrule.

“Not really, thanks Hyrule.”

“You can have my ice rod if you want. It can solidify lava,” said Legend, trying to do some damage control. Twilight took the ice rod and used it as a makeshift backscratcher. He couldn't properly use it without a magic meter, but it was still cold.

“If no one has any reason to continue standing here, we should get going,” said Wild.

They continued on a bit more shaken than before.

“So, um Twilight, how many hearts did you lose?” asked Wind.

“One. Pain and health loss don’t correlate. Who knew?”

“Oh, I only lost a half,” mumbled Legend.

“I lost two,” said Sky.

“I’m not healing you until we get to civilization,” said Hyrule.

“That’s fair.”

“Sky, there is something seriously wrong with you health-wise,” said Wild.

“I know.”

“There’s a glitch that I used to get max hearts and stamina without competing all the shrines. You could probably use that to make up for your terrible damage-to-heart conversion,” said Wild, thinking aloud, “I should probably also buy more armor with heat protection for the rear, since apparently some of you can _jump into lava and not die_.”

Meanwhile, Dark Link slowly put down his binoculars. He tried to process what he just witnessed. The heroes of courage, falling into lava, and then appearing back on the path just fine. It didn’t make the slightest bit of sense. Was it a blessing from the gods? Some form of magic? Or maybe the heat was making him hallucinate? He had no idea. It must be the heat.

“Note to self: Heroes are immune to lava…somehow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twilight's death via lava animation is scary y'all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bLrzSPjaKI 
> 
> Four did not fall into the lava because I have no idea what his animation looks like. I haven’t played any of his games. I know there’s a dungeon called the cave of flames in Minish Cap, so there is lava and he probably has an animation. I just don’t know what it is.
> 
> This is something short and sweet because I feel bad for how long the next chapter of “A Fishing Rod in Hand is Worth 2 in System Memory” is taking. It will be done. There will be more chapters of that, I swear.
> 
> Update as of November 22: Apparently the respawn for Time only applies to a particular area of death mountain, i.e. where lava is not shallow enough to stand in, i.e. the only spot I actually tested. However, this particular section of lava is not shallow, so it's still accurate!


	2. The Consequences of Falling in Lava as an NPC that uses a lot of Player Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark Link gets curious.

Dark Link stared at the lava, wondering. If he jumped in, would he survive like the heroes? If he jumped and died, then he would kill himself for nothing. If he didn’t jump but wouldn’t die, then he misses out on vital information.

He looked back to the Hero of Time. What happened when he fell into lava? Was it the same as his protégé? Slowing sinking like that must’ve been gruesome.

He started to climb up to get a better view of the heroes when his feet suddenly became very slippery. He grimaced. The Hero of Time was wearing the hover boots. He tried to stop himself, but his momentum sent him straight over the lava. He had just enough time before the hover ran out to curse the Hero, curse the gods, and curse this stupid mountain.

The hover faded and he fell straight into the molten rock. He screamed and his vision faded to black.

When he opened his eyes he was back where he first arrived from a dark portal to this mountain. He used another portal to get to where he fell and saw the heroes in the distance. They were all heading down the mountain, and looking to where they were heading, he could see why.

Their leader had respawned near the base of the mountain, where they first reached the landmark.

Dark Link grinned. This was perfect! His connection to the Hero of Time had only ever been an annoyance at best and a crippling detriment at worst, but now he could finally use it to his advantage!

He waited patiently for the heroes to make their way up, and then jumped into the lava again. Just like the first instance, the Hero of Time respawned at the volcano’s base. Dark Link watched through his binoculars in delight at the heroes’ confusion. The Hero of Time took out a bomb put it down and then shielded as it exploded. It caused him to slide across the ground very slowly. Dark Link wasn’t sure why he did that. It never seemed to be very fast whenever Dark Link was around. The Hero must’ve decided it wasn’t worth it either and stopped doing it.

The heroes again climbed up the mountain, this time the Hero of Time was rolled instead of walking backwards. Dark Link waited for the perfect moment, and then jumped into lava.

Was it petty? Yes.

Did it hurt? Of course. It’s _lava_.

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Oh sweet, sweet revenge. Vengeance for every time the hero changed his footwear and Dark Link was forced to change as well. For every time he had to slip and slide in hover boots and make a fool of himself. For every time he couldn't ran fast because of the iron boots. For every case of mistaken identity. He waited impatiently for the heroes of courage to start their trek again.

He started to follow them when he heard a clang. The iron boots. Why was the Hero of Time wearing iron boots!?

He turned around and looked at the heroes. There, a very grumpy Hero of Time was being dangled in the air on one foot by the Hero of the Wild’s magnesis powers.

Oh. Of course.

They must think that their leader keeps falling into lava, so they’re not letting him touch the ground. So now he has to suffer with limited mobility.

He trudged up the mountain, no longer as giddy as he was before, watching them. His reduced mobility killed any chances of avoiding monsters once they mistook him for one of the heroes. A fire chuchu was following him, but he wasn’t sure if it was one of his or a native one. That is, until it dashed at him and he was forced to defend himself, cutting the chuchu and causing it to explode in his face and knock him to the floor.

So it was native then.

“Damn you Hero of Time.” He looked at the lava pool next to him as he stood up. “But I will have the have the last laugh.” He fell into the lava.

Time respawned near the base of the mountain again. “WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you mod Ocarina of Time and push Dark Link into lava (like on Death Mountain Crater), it will cause the fade-in fade-out transition that happens when Link falls into lava. Enemies will go after Dark Link.
> 
> For some reason, supersliding doesn't work as well when the Dark Link actor is loaded. Time was trying to do a superslide the first time he respawned, but because Dark Link was there, it didn't work.
> 
> Source of information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NdCJLvUzbc&t=446s


End file.
